Stay Here
by StarvingLunatic
Summary: Sequel to Always Here. Regina's worst fear is upon them, their children have questions about their origins. Emma is more than prepared for the moment with the kids. But, she also has to soothe her wife, who isn't ready for this, who might never be ready for this.
1. Egg and Spoon

I don't own these characters; Disney/ABC does. Well, except for Nathan and Odette. Those are mine.

A/N: this is a short visit back into the _Right Here_ series. It's set a few years after _Always Here_. A nice little check back in on the Swan-Mills family. In order to know what's going on here, you might want to read _Right Here_ and _Always Here,_ if only to know who the children are. Beyond that, enjoy the little domestic scene and family bonding.

Thanks to my beta, Kylie.

Stay Here

1: Egg and Spoon

Emma grabbed her sandwich and rushed to the front of the house as she heard the front door open. She could feel Regina was home, which meant her Duckling was home. Everyone had been out, giving her a morning and afternoon to herself. She appreciated the alone time, but she missed the noise of the family. It was hard to deal with quiet when she lived with a five-year-old and a four-year-old, who both yelled everything at the top of their lungs and stomped everywhere they went. She could see why Regina used to complain about her "clomping."

"Nathan, shoes!" Regina called as she closed the door.

Emma could hear the stomping back to the door more than she could see Nathan. She never realized how short five-year-olds were until Nathan turned five. He was tiny, which made her realize how tiny Odette was because she was smaller than he was. Yet somehow these short people always managed to get cookies they were not supposed to have or spill the cereal off the counter or manage to find the snacks that were on shelves that she could barely reach. Regina was certain it was magic. Emma thought they had two engineers on their hands. Maybe they were both right.

"Roland doesn't have to take off his shoes!" Nathan kicked his shoes off, watching them bang into the wall. Well, his mood was certainly unexpected. What happened with his visit to one of his favorite people, Roland?

"Roland most certainly does have to take his shoes off. You think his Mama lets him track dirt in her pristine house?" Regina replied.

Nathan actually glared at Regina, brown eyes almost identical to Regina's, giving her a look almost identical to hers when she was angry. Emma would have laughed if only her Duckling was not so obviously upset. His chubby features twisted in a frown as he marched to the couch and slammed his little book bag, which was shaped like Pikachu as he was oddly into Pokémon, on to the cushions. He was looking to get scolded by his mom again, apparently.

"Young man, you may be upset, but you have no right to abuse the furniture, as you know," Regina said.

Nathan did not say anything, just scowled at the couch, all too aware he was one bad move from being on timeout. Emma decided to step in and save the poor kid. She eased down next to him, putting her sandwich on the coffee table.

"Hey, Duck, what's going on? What's up with your beak?" Emma tapped the corner of his mouth. He glowered even harder as Regina sat down on the opposite end. Emma looked over at Regina.

"Roland upset him," Regina replied, tone clipped, as if she had enough of this behavior on the ride home.

"Roland didn't upset me!" Nathan poked his lip out. Roland was one of his favorite people, so he would never let anyone, not even his mothers say anything bad about him, even when Roland was being a little mischievous because, well, he was ten. Emma thought ten was the age kids started doing crazy things, like searching for birth mothers, stealing credit cards, and hopping on buses out of state. Roland had not done any of that yet, but he had used his mother's Tai Chi lessons to chase away older bullies on more than one occasion and he liked carrying around his sword, even though he was not supposed to. Thankfully, it was made of wood.

"I'm sorry. Perhaps I upset you," Regina said, her voice dropping a bit. Her eyes were wet. Emma was not sure what was going on, but something big happened.

Nathan gasped and turned to her. "No, Mom. It's not you. I just… I don't understand!" He made two tight fists and hit the sofa with them.

"What don't you understand, Duck?" Emma ran her hand through his wavy, dirty blond hair.

Nathan's scowl was back and he glared at his little yellow socks. "Roland said we couldn't hang out for long because he had to go see Dad."

"Okay." Emma would be upset if she had to see Robin Hood, too.

Regina shook her head and Emma winced. Apparently, it was not okay. _Oh, god_. Was this leading to what she thought it was? They thought they would have more time for this, more time to prepare and plan.

"I don't see Roland's dad much and it's usually really quick if he's in the park or something, so I asked him who his dad was," Nathan said.

"Uh-huh," Emma replied, eyes still on Regina.

"And he said his dad was my dad. 'Our dad.' That's what he said. 'Ours,' like we share him or something and then said I was silly for not knowing that. I'm not silly. I don't have a dad," Nathan said and he puffed out his cheeks. "I told him that and he still said I was silly. But, I'm not silly. I don't have a dad." Then he looked up, glancing between his mothers. "Right?" He needed reassurance because someone he trusted and thought was wise turned his world upside down. Now, he needed greater authorities to overturn that and set everything right again.

Regina looked at Emma with wide eyes, lost already. Emma smiled, hoping it set her wife at ease. She had this.

"Okay, Duck, time for real talk," Emma said. This was her way of letting their kids know everything she was about to say was totally serious. They always took it as the solid truth, even Henry, who was currently a college student. They always acted like Emma was giving them secrets of the universe and that was because she always made it seem like that. It was in those moments she realized how powerful parenting was and she wanted to give it her all, do her best. She could not fail these children in any way.

Nathan angled his body to her now. "Real talk? You sure?" His little forehead furrowed.

"Yeah. Gimme a second and stay right here. I need to get some stuff." Real talk tended to have props, as she wanted to make sure they understood exactly what she meant. Henry still resented her for using hand puppets to help him adjust to going away for college, never mind the fact that it worked.

Emma rushed off, going back to the kitchen. She grabbed a spoon and an egg, returning to the living room to see Nathan curled into Regina. Regina had not even taken her coat off, caressing his head, probably thinking about how he needed a haircut. She would fight that fight later, loving his wild and crazy hair. For now, she flopped back on the sofa, earning a sharp look from her wife. She ignored the look.

"Okay, bud. You ready for this?" Emma asked Nathan.

Nathan nodded and shifted again, so he was facing her, but still tucked against Regina. "Uh-huh."

"So, it boils down to this, everyone has a mother and a father, but not everyone has a mom and a dad. Okay?" Emma asked.

Nathan blinked those big brown eyes like a little owl. "There's a difference?"

"Yeah, there's a difference. So, remember when we saw the pictures of the dog that had puppies, but was also helping nurse a baby lamb?"

Nathan nodded and giggled. "It was cute and Odie squealed so loud when she saw it."

Emma chuckled. "She did." Odette was loud all the time and she loved the kid for it. Odette never could contain her excitement. "So, that dog was a mother because she had babies, but was also being a mom to her pups and that lamb."

"You can be both?"

"Yup. Now, this is where it's real talk. You ready?"

Nathan nodded eagerly. "Yeah."

"Do you know how a baby gets made?"

Nathan's eyes went wide again and he shook his head. "No, Mama."

"Okay, so I'm gonna tell you." Emma glanced at Regina as she made a strangled noise. Emma winked at her, hoping to keep her wife from having a stroke in front of their son. "To make a baby, you need an egg and a spoon." She held up her props.

Nathan narrowed his gaze on her. "You need an egg and a spoon?" He spoke slowly, like he needed her to hear the words to know how ridiculous she sounded.

"Yup. You put an egg and a spoon together and it makes a baby. The egg." She held it in front of his face. "The egg comes from the mother. And the father brings the spoon." She put the spoon next to the egg, very careful of both. Regina would not be happy if she cracked an egg on the couch.

His face scrunched up so adorably. "An egg and a spoon make a baby?" He squinted his eyes as he eyed both objects.

"Yeah, kid. You thought a stork bought 'em?" She held in a chuckle, just in case that was his belief. She did not want him to think she was mocking him.

He frowned. "Grandma said that."

She scoffed. "Yeah, but Grandma makes up a lot of stories to keep you guys entertained and laughing. Anyway, to make you, your mom had an egg."

Nathan rubbed his chin with one hand. "But, we need a spoon to make me, too."

Emma nodded. "That's right. The spoon came from Roland's dad. And, you got made."

"So, I do have a dad?"

Emma tilted her head to the side a little. "Not exactly, kid. A father gives up a spoon to make a baby, but that doesn't make him a dad." She held up the spoon. "I mean, if that was the case, the lamb who was with the puppies wouldn't have been with the mama dog, right?"

Nathan rubbed his forehead. "Yeah, the lamb should've been with other lambs because a dog can't make a lamb."

"Exactly. A dog cannot make a lamb, but that dog was still that lamb's mommy. Now, the lamb that made that baby lamb was a mother and a father, but not a mom and a dad."

Nathan nodded. "Okay, so what makes a dad? Cuz, Mom is my mom and she was my egg."

Emma chuckled again, glad he was following along as best he could. "She had your egg. You were her egg if anything." She held up the egg and put it near Regina's face. "But, yeah, your mom didn't become your mom because she had your egg. That makes her your mother. You see, when you have the egg, that makes you a mother and when you have the spoon, it makes you the father. But, remember I said there's a difference, right?"

"Right. Tell me the difference." Nathan leaned forward, hands pressed on Emma's thigh, digging into her leg.

Emma smiled a little. "So, a spoon and an egg make a baby, but that baby needs someone to raise it and take care of it because it's just a baby, right?"

Nathan nodded. "Because a baby is too small to do anything."

"Right and we saw that with the baby lamb and how the mama dog became her mama. The ones who take care of the baby and make sure the baby is okay, that's the mom and dad. Or in your case…" Emma waited for him to fill in the blank.

"My mommy and mama! You guys take care of me!" He pointed to both of them with a grin on his face and a light in his eyes. "Okay, but, Roland has a mama and a mom and a dad?"

Emma nodded. "Yes. You can have one, two, three, and even four parents who take care of you depending on your circumstances. So, you have two moms. But, your uncle has a mom and dad, right?"

"Yeah, he does. Grandma and Grandpa are funny."

Emma fought against rolling her eyes, never wanting to sour her children on her parents. "Yeah, that's one way to put it." She did not have any real problems with her parents, but to this day, they never failed to make a situation worse with little more than a few words. Thankfully, they were not here right now. "But, do you understand?"

Nathan put his pudgy finger to his chin. "Is it better to have a mom and a dad?"

"Did Roland say it was?" Emma asked, eyes wandering to Regina, who was at least out of her coat now. They might have to monitor his time with Roland if he was saying things like this.

Nathan shook his head. "No. But, in a lot of movies, there's always a mom and a dad… or just a dad. Is it better to have a dad?"

"Nathan, it's good to have people who take care of you and love you. Trust me on that. I grew up without people who loved me or took care of me."

His eyes went wide and he gasped. "But, Mom!" He pointed to Regina. "Us!" He pressed his little hands to his chest.

"This was before you or Odette or Henry or even Mom. I was alone for a long time when I was little. My mother had my egg and my dad had my spoon, but I was alone as a baby. I didn't even have a mama dog like that lamb."

Nathan clutched her leg and his bottom lip trembled. "How? You should've had a mama and a mommy and everything! You need a mommy. How did you tucked into bed? Who scared away the monsters in the closet? Who made your favorite sandwich?"

"No one. I didn't have anyone. So, I know it's best to have people who love and care about you. It doesn't matter if it's a mom, a dad, or whatever. It's just good to have people who care." Emma leaned down and kissed his messy crown.

Nathan leaned in, hugging Emma with all he was worth. "Why didn't Grandma and Grandpa take care of you? You was just a baby. Babies need mamas."

Emma smiled. He probably did not even realize he said "mamas." He always knew the right things to say to make people feel better and he had no clue he had this super power.

"I was separated from my mom and dad, so they couldn't take care of me. So, I started out with a mother and a father, but no mom and dad. They had to become my mom and dad later on," Emma said.

Nathan's forehead wrinkled and he stared at the floor. "I'm glad you and Mommy were my mamas from the start. If you make a baby, you should take care of it. That's why we can't have a puppy. We're not like the mama dog yet."

Emma held in a laugh and Regina put her hand over her mouth, obviously hiding a smile. It was good to know the kids understood why they would not have a puppy anytime soon. Henry had barely been able to take care of a hamster when he was home. They gave the poor little rodent away before Henry overfed the thing. Emma feared she had been on the way to witnessing her first hamster heart attack whenever it had tried to run in the hamster ball.

"Are you okay, Duck?" Emma asked.

Nathan nodded. "Yeah, but who's my spoon?"

Emma tilted her head and glanced at Regina. They had agreed when he asked, they would tell him, but Regina's face drained of color. This was the beginning of Regina's nightmare. Birth parents always would be. From now on, Regina would wait to hear Nathan ran off to live in the woods with Robin, who refused to let his little cabin go, even though most of the Merry Men had moved into town and some even managed to find their place in Storybrooke. Hell, Little John and Will Scarlet worked in the sporting goods store in the mall.

"Well, your spoon is Roland's spoon," Emma said.

Nathan nodded, but his eyes were on the ceiling. "But, his moms aren't my moms."

"No, they are not. Again, moms and dads and eggs and spoons aren't the same things. You can have the same spoons and have different moms and dads."

Nathan squinted. "Right, because the spoon doesn't have to take care of the baby, just make it. But, why make something if you don't want to take care of it?"

"How about that puppy, huh?"

He puffed out his cheeks. "Me and Odie could do it!"

She made a show of scoffing, throwing her head to the side and everything. "Yeah, you and Odie can barely get up for school on time. Imagine having to be a dad to the puppy? You'd have to wake up to walk a puppy before school and then you'd have to feed the puppy and give the puppy a bath and read the puppy a bedtime story."

He grimaced as she reminded him of all the responsibilities he and his sister knew they were not ready for. "Odie can't even read yet to do bedtime stories!"

Emma chuckled and rubbed his head to keep his spirits up. They were doing so good. Well, she and he were, but she was definitely going to have to talk Regina down when this was all said and done. She was not even sure Regina was still breathing over there, especially from her lack of reaction when Nathan said "Odie."

"So, if we got a puppy, I would be the spoon and Odie would be the egg and you and Mom would end up being the moms, even though we'd care about it."

"That's probably what would happen. You care about the puppy, but you can't take care of it. You can barely take care of you and Odie."

He frowned. "I'm five."

Emma chuckled, as that could be anything from an objection to a "duh." Nathan and Odette had inherited Henry's advanced maturity, but also like Henry, only sometimes. Her little brother was the same way, which meant they occasionally got smart aleck answers from people who were not even four feet tall.

"Do you understand, though?" Emma asked.

"Yeah, we got the same spoon, but he's not my dad. Do we got the same egg?" Nathan asked.

"Nope. Your egg is right there." Emma pointed to Regina. "Roland's egg is his mama."

"Well, why does his spoon take care of him, but not me?" Nathan sounded curious rather than upset.

"Different people can take care of different amounts of kids."

"Good thing you and Mom can handle a lot. I like that you take care of me." He smiled and tapped his fingers against her leg.

Emma grinned. "I like taking care of you, too." She had to kiss his head again.

He held up a single finger. "One more question, Mama."

"You can ask me as many questions as you want." And she knew he would. It was a good thing. Annoying sometimes, but good. She wanted him to always be curious, to want to learn, to do everything she could not do as a child. And she wanted him to always feel comfortable coming to her for answers.

"How come Roland doesn't know any of this stuff? He called me silly, but he doesn't know. He said his dad was my dad, but he's just my spoon. A spoon is not a dad," Nathan said. _Mission accomplished!_

Emma snickered and delighted as she heard a light giggle escape Regina. "No, a spoon is not a dad, which is why you're not silly at all. Everyone doesn't know everything, except your mom. Your mom totally knows everything, but Roland doesn't. He might think his dad is your dad just because he's your spoons. Sometimes, people confuse the two."

"Even Roland?"

"Yup, even Roland."

"But, he's ten!" Nathan held up all of his fingers. Putting him in preschool before kindergarten served him well. It helped that Regina insisted on playing educational games with their children.

"Like I said, the only person who knows everything is Mom." Emma pointed to Regina. Nathan turned to her.

Regina smiled and waved that off. "Your mama is being silly. I don't know everything either, but your mama makes a very good point, Nathan. Your parents don't have to be the people who made you. Your parents are the people who care about you and care _for_ you. While you're my egg, do you know that Henry isn't?"

Nathan's eyes went wide. "Who's Henry's egg?"

"Your mama."

"And I didn't meet Henry until he was ten," Emma said, wanting him to understand that making a baby did not always equal taking care of the baby and parents came in all shapes and forms.

"What? Why? What happened?" Nathan clutched onto Emma's leg again, digging in deep.

She flicked one of his crinkled locks of hair. "I wasn't ready to take care of a baby, but your mom was and she decided to be Henry's mom. Henry came looking for me and it took me a little while, but eventually I was ready to be his mom, too, and Mom let me."

"What if my spoon wants to take care of me?" Nathan asked.

"Do you want your spoon to take care of you?" Emma inquired.

"Would he be my dad then, like Roland said?"

"He would. Do you want him to be your dad?"

Nathan's brow furrowed as he thought on that. "I don't think so. I like our family." He gave a firm nod and a smile. He then leaned in close. "I don't think my spoon is that great. Roland doesn't talk about him a lot and doesn't live with him like he does with his moms."

"You are wise beyond your years, kid." Emma ruffled his hair.

Roland lived with Marian and Mulan. Hearing Mulan tell it, Roland was growing increasing fascinated with his father as he disliked that he had to share his mothers with a toddler sister. He was not sure how to deal with it yet, even though he had over three years on how to figure it out, and handled it by asking to spend more time with his father. Robin basically lost custody of Roland because he refused to adjust to life in this world and in Storybrooke. Robin only got to see Roland through the kindness of Marian's heart. Robin still seemed to think he was simply entitled to all the world, but the world disagreed.

"Can Henry's spoon come and take him?" Nathan asked with a wrinkle in his forehead.

"No, Henry's spoon can't. Henry is all ours. You're all ours and Odette is all ours. None of you have to think about spoons unless you want to," Emma answered.

"Okay. Can I have a snack?" Nathan asked. And, just like that, the whole thing was over.

"I got you, dude." Emma handed him her sandwich. She could go make another one.

"Can we watch a _Pokémon_ movie?"

It was that or _My Little Pony_ and Emma was not sure which was worse at this point. But, crisis averted, so she was willing to give into whatever Nathan wanted. She gathered Regina in her arms while Nathan laid across both of them. Regina was tense, like if someone threw a brick at her, the brick would crumble on impact.

"I can only watch for a little while. I do have to go get Odette," Regina said and this was the truth rather than a means of escape. Of course, Emma wished she had the excuse to use as a means of escape. How the hell did this kid get into _Pokémon_ of all things? She knew better than to ask, as it was probably her fault.

-8-8-8-8-

Nathan and Odette were finally in bed, they checked in on Henry with a FaceTime call, and now Emma could work on Regina. The day had obviously taken a toll on her, even though she tried to act normal. After she picked up Odette from her "princess play date," which was set up by Snow, involving her daughter and several other royals' daughters, Regina catered to Odette to avoid interacting with Nathan. She moved around Nathan like he was live bomb. Thankfully, he did not notice.

There were stress lines all over Regina's face. Her eyes were haunted, like she had already lost the entire world. It hurt to see. Regina was so frail. No one knew, but Regina was made of glass when it came to their family and the smallest thing could shatter her.

"Come here." Emma pulled Regina to her as they settled in bed. Regina was dressed in her usual nightgown while Emma was dressed in a t-shirt and mesh shorts that were probably going to get thrown away the second she put them in the laundry.

Regina groused and put up a little resistance. "Emma, I just want to sleep."

Emma gave her a soft kiss to her bare shoulder. "You deserve it. I know today was hard for you, but the first step is out of the way."

Regina sagged against her. "No thanks to me."

Emma gave her shoulder another kiss and then stroked the area with her thumb. "You kept it together. It was fine. I was prepared." Regina had not burst into tears, which was all Emma wanted from her.

"You really were. The egg and the spoon thing was very good."

"They like visuals."

"Like their mama."

Emma nodded. "I work best with visuals, yes. None of which I will ask for right now. I know you'll have to see it to believe it, but I don't think Nathan is going to have a problem with this bio dad thing. Like I said, the first step is out of the way and he was more upset that Roland thought he was silly than I wasn't his birth parent or whatever."

"But, one day, he might be. And Odette might be."

"We'll be ready. I know this is hard for you, but you have to trust me and our kids. This is not the same as when it was just you and Henry."

Regina wrapped her arms around Emma and tucked her head under Emma's chin. Emma liked that Regina did this when she wanted protection from the world. Emma would definitely fight off the world to make sure Regina was all right. It was the least she could do for Regina trusting her with her heart, her happiness, and everything in between.

Regina sighed and briefly massaged the area that held her heart. "I know it's not the same thing I went through with Henry, but I can still feel that pain. I don't want that for you and I don't want that for us."

"It's different now and we're ready. Besides, you think Henry tells him all of those stories starring adopted kids or two moms just because he's good at them?" Emma reminded her. Before Henry went off to college, one of his favorite things was to tell his little siblings stories or read them stories. They hung on his every word, more so than they did their moms, even though their moms did voices when they read. Whenever Henry made up a story for them, they always starred adopted children with two mothers, or at the very least an "unconventional" family.

Regina let out a long breath and tried to cuddle closer. "Still, I dread the day one them yells you're not my real mom."

A tear slid out of Regina's eye and broke Emma's heart. Ten years later and Regina seemed to still feel the pain from words of a confused child, who loved her to death now. Emma wiped away the tear and caressed Regina's cheek with her thumb. She also gave Regina a tight hug, reminding Regina how much she loved her.

"We'll be ready for that if it comes, but there's no reason for it to come. We're going to keep making sure they understand families come in all shapes and sizes. I know I can't tell you not to worry, but I don't want you to live the rest of your life waiting for the other shoe to drop when it probably isn't. You're an incredible mother. Nathan had a prime opportunity here to throw a tantrum and didn't. He wasn't bothered by me being his mother or Robin not being in his life or any of that. He was just upset with Roland acting like he was stupid," Emma said.

Regina sighed. "This could get so much worse, though."

"Or it could stay as awesome as it is. I know both of us have a hard time looking at the bright side of things and we have the bad habit of waiting for things to go to shit, but our family isn't going to go to shit. We're good at this. Our kids love us and we love them. We don't have secrets from them. If they want to know something, I've got hand puppets and you've got diagrams and graphic organizers." Henry inherited the graphic organizer thing.

Regina chuckled through her sorrow. "The hand puppets."

"They are a fan favorite. I'm gonna use them to explain something to you one day, so you can see why they're such a big deal."

Regina's hands caressed Emma's side. "You are a good mama, you know?"

Emma kissed the top of Regina's head. "I think it's because we're such a good team and I'm comfortable and ready. I don't think I could've done this with Henry." No, she knew for a fact she would not have been able to do this with Henry. She would have been overwhelmed and drowned in his needs.

"I think you would've grown into it. The way you are with them now has always been inside of you. I hope they recognize that always."

Emma nodded and ran her fingers through Regina's hair. "I think they will with both of us. If you think I'm a good mama, then you have to know you're a great mommy. You've become a great person in general, but as a mommy, you're above and beyond. You drive them to all these playdates and pick them up and get involved with their interests, even though they're practically still babies, and do the best for them. You give Nathan those talks about magic he may or may not have." He spent too much time talking to birds of all things in the backyard to not have magic.

Regina sucked her teeth and shook her head. "The damn birds. Why not squirrels?"

"You'd freak about about him getting rabies if it were squirrels. Besides, he could be making it up."

"He's not."

Emma was sure he was not, but there was a chance. "Anyway, you're preparing him for that adventure. And, everything you do with our princess is awesome. You learned sign language with her before dragging the rest of us to learn, too. Hell, you tried to help me get it, even after I kept screwing up the signs." Sign language was not her thing and she was certain she had cursed poor Odette out way more than a person should curse out their toddler daughter. But, she stuck with it thanks to Regina's encouragement and she was not the worst person to ever use American sign language now.

"We have to communicate with her and she had to be able to communicate to the world. People need to know her hearing issue isn't a disability," Regina replied. They had that argument with more people than Emma liked. She never imagined how much the town thought Odette being hard of hearing, not quite deaf, but close enough that getting her implants made a world of difference, that the town thought… well, Emma was not sure. Some people seemed to think her hearing made Odette less of a person and others thought it meant they should have her put in a bubble, kept at home, and made sure nothing ever touched her.

"You're the one who tracked down the implant for Odette, even though you had that minor breakdown about it," Emma said. They had agreed to get Odette implants to help with her hearing issues. The implant was new and they were all getting used to it, especially Odette. She was still hard of hearing, but she could make out sounds as long as she was close enough or they were loud enough. It just made life easier for her in a town where almost no one practiced sign language or seemed interested in trying to understand Odette.

Regina scowled at her. "Emma, we could be costing her her culture."

Emma had to laugh. "Regina, the deaf culture is not her culture. You have to be raised in a culture. You know that. She wouldn't have been able to be part of the deaf culture because we're not part of it. Although, knowing you, you'd probably study the hell out of that to give it to her."

Regina gave her a squeeze. "Our babies need the choices we didn't have."

"You know I totally, wholeheartedly agree. I love being able to give them stuff we didn't have and I mean that way beyond physical stuff." They were both able to give their children love and affection they did not have, experiences they had never had, and allow them to blossom into their own people rather than beat down. "That's why I know this is going to be okay."

"Because we give them choices?"

"Because we give them love, but we don't spoil them. We give them what they need to grow. I think we're okay right now. So, can you just live in the moment? After all, tomorrow you have to host a tea party for some short people. I can't wait to see what you put Nate and Odie in."

Regina pulled away enough for Emma to see her scowling. "Don't call them that."

Emma only laughed. Between the nicknames Regina did not like and the cultured events she liked to have for their tiny children, Emma was amused to no end. Other children would come to those things. Roland and his sister. Snow liked to bring Neal, so he could share his almost seven-year-old wisdom with them and also find out what the birds were saying to Nathan. Eva, Snow's daughter, was just starting to hang out with the children, as she was the smallest and youngest of them. Added to that, Ashley's daughters had come to be friends with their children and Alex was one tough cookie. Then, there was Azhara, Odette's best friend, and child of Aladdin and Jasmine. This was going to be a mess when they were all teenagers. Emma could feel it.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: there's more talks of eggs and spoons while at a tea party.


	2. Teaspoon

I don't own these characters; Disney/ABC does. Well, actually, I own quite a few of these characters. Nathan, Odette, and quite a few of the kids are mine.

A/N: there's some bullying here and large amounts of passive-aggressiveness. In case you need warnings for those.

2: Teaspoon

Regina had begun her monthly tea parties after Odette started pre-school and none of the children wanted to play with her. They had already seen this behavior when they took Odette to the park, but they thought children would eventually warm up to Odette when they got to know her and saw her every day. They were wrong. It broke her and Emma's hearts to watch their baby sit alone for everything.

Now, all of the children were especially, extra nice to Odette, wanting to be invited to her exclusive event, mostly because there were always expensive snacks and goody bags. Not like birthday party goody bags, nothing as plebeian as that. Regina wanted these children to feel like they had come from the Oscars with their goody bags, which was not hard with children. Snow likened them more to royal tea parties in the Old World, which was what Regina wanted.

Beyond children, their parents were eager to get invited to the parties as well. This was what Regina wanted also. She wanted everyone who treated Odette as "the other" to see what her family was like, to experience her life, and then to leave understanding Odette was the good one out of them and they would never have the wonderful life she had. Was it vindictive? Perhaps. Did Regina care? No.

Emma always laughed over the whole thing, believing only Regina could make an exclusive event for four-year-olds. Regina needed to do something for their little princess. And Odette loved a good tea party. How Odette loved both a tea party and learning to box from Emma was beyond Regina, but it was nice Odette enjoyed things with both of her mothers.

Regina knew it was not the children of the town who decided to treat Odette differently. Well, not completely the children. The people of Storybrooke had decided Odette was an oddity, her deafness a mark on her. The mark of Cain. Well, to hell with that. Regina refused, knowing all too well what it was like to have society reject her. Society would not reject Odette. If anything, eventually, Odette would reject them… without the insanity or grumpiness her mothers rejected society with.

"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" Odette marched into the kitchen, signing as she spoke, which she tended to do when she opened a conversation. She learned to sign before she could really talk, but the more she talked, the less she signed. Regina believed it was because outside of the house, no one really signed with her.

Odette was dressed for her party, wearing a tailor made suit. Odette was her perfect little princess, who liked to dress like her mothers, two very imperfect royals. Right now, though, she was dressed like a mini-mayor, which was fine for some occasions, but not usually a tea party.

Regina smiled. "Oh, sweetheart, where's your dress? Suits are for when we go to work." She also signed as she spoke, just wanting to encourage Odette. Occasionally, Regina took Odette to the office with her and they dressed similar, if not the same on those days. This also happened if she went to work with Emma. Odette wanted identical outfits to her mothers and who was Regina to argue? So, right now, she had on a black, pinstripe suit with a matching vest and with a white shirt. The last time Odette wore it, they had on the same thing and Regina was at work. Odette liked to think she was at work, too, and sometimes she earned her snacks.

Now, Odette's hands moved, but not to sign, just to emphasis her excitement. "Mama said my suit is best! And I like it, too. Remember, this is the suit when I won that argument at Town Hall last month." She held her head up high and tugged on her sharp lapels.

Regina could not help smiling even more. Odette was not wrong in believing she had won an argument at Town Hall. There was opposition to raising funding for helping people with disabilities in town. There were people who did not think there was so many people with disabilities that they needed more funding. Odette, not truly understanding what was happening, but very aware of the words "disabled" and "handicap," worked her way out of her seat by Emma and climbed up onto a table. She hollered the word "help" with a stump of her foot and gave enough people pause that the opposition disappeared. They understood. It was not that there were not so many people in the town with disabilities, but they did not see them. With Odette standing on a table, screaming, they were very visible now.

"But, that's your suit for Town Hall meetings. This isn't a meeting. This is a social event. We've discussed the differences," Regina said.

"But, suits can be for social events! Just like jeans can be for meetings!" Odette was already bouncing with energy and shouting at full volume. She was loud thanks to the hearing issues, but more so whenever she was excited about something.

Regina held up a finger. "Do not believe your mama when she says jeans are for meetings. I promise you it is always a bad move and she's been thoroughly scolded before we leave and when we get home every time she does that."

Odette giggled, putting her hand on her mouth. "I know, but Mama's right about suits. You wear suits to social things sometimes."

There were some occasions where she would wear a suit. "Those are official social outings. We'll talk about the differences. If you want to wear your suit, you can, but we'll have to talk about social-social events and normal social events."

Odette nodded. "Are we going to watch _Mary Poppins_ today?"

"That's what you want, right? Mama should be fixing it up right now." Regina let Odette pick the activities for her tea parties. They tended to go over well and Regina did not even have to use magic to make them happen. Well, unless money and sometimes intimidation counted as magic. But, if her princess wanted a pony ride, then damn it, there would be pony rides.

"And my favorite cake, right?"

Regina smiled. "Always, princess."

"And hot chocolate for after tea?"

"I know how you throw a tea party, Odette. Everything is set up just as you like it."

Odette grinned and hugged Regina around the leg. "Thank you, Mommy! I love you!"

"I love you, too." Regina rubbed her daughter's back. She loved all of her children and their family with every fiber of her being. How had she gotten so lucky? It was something to contemplate later. For now, she had to make sure the tea party was perfect.

The monthly tea parties were always mini-formal events for children and Regina could not help thinking it was cute. Nathan wandered down in his suit, similar to Odette's, but in dark blue instead of black, just as Regina finished setting up the snack table. There were little finger sandwiches, cakes, pie slices, muffins, decorated fruit snacks that looked like insects, a platter of cookies, fruit cups in crystal bowls, and tiny goblets of yogurt and pudding with cream. The tea was set up on a different circular table with a place setting for everyone.

"Can I have some yogurt now?" Nathan was already reaching as he asked the question. He was a big fan of yogurt of all flavors.

"Not until the guests arrive. You know better than that," Regina replied, her tone gentle, wanting to remind him rather than reprimand him. He knew the responsibilities of a host. She gave him a once over, pleased Emma had actually put his tie on him. She was tired of having _that_ argument. Suits needed ties.

He frowned and folded his arms across his chest, ruffling his suit jacket a bit. "But, Ming always eats them all."

Regina leaned down and fixed his jacket for lack of a better thing to do. His hair was as wild as always, as that was how Emma liked it. She left it like that since Emma had been the one to prepare him. "Because you're always focused on more cake and tea when things get started. You know Ming loves the yogurt cups."

As if knowing they were talking about her, three year old Ming popped up with trails of pink fabric from her traditional robes. Her clothing was handmade from description by Mulan and the closet thing she could find on the internet. Regina introduced Mulan to the places she had her clothes made and treated Mulan to several outfits in the style of her Old World homeland after Mulan saved Emma from the Headless Horseman a couple of years ago. Emma had put more work into learning how to use a sword after that.

Ming's mothers and brother were right behind her. Roland was dressed in a blue suit with a bow tie. Marian had a thing for bow ties. Marian and Mulan had on casual clothing. The parents tended to find ways to entertain themselves while Regina put on the tea party. Sometimes, they left and enjoyed an afternoon to themselves, which Regina did not mind. She understood that, catching alone time with her spouse whenever she had a chance.

Odette took charge of Ming, holding her hand almost the second she was through the door. Odette liked to look out for Ming for the simple fact that she was older and bigger. The children had come to the understanding older and bigger meant protecting those younger and smaller. Ming was happy to have Odette by her side, mostly because Odette shared everything with Ming.

Right after, David and Snow popped up with Neal, who was in a tan suit he pulled off well with surprising regal bearing. The Charmings had a little girl, Eva, as well. She was barely two, but dressed up just like everyone else. Her long, blond hair was outshined by her yellow gown. Emma knew she had grown as a person when Eva's birth did not bother her and she had been so proud to tell Regina that. Or, maybe it was just she had her own children and family to worry about.

Aladdin and Jasmine showed up with their daughter, Azhara. She was Odette's age and in the same pre-school. Like both of her parents, the heart of a hero and warrior beat in her chest as she got in trouble quite often for shoving people who made fun of Odette. Dressed in brilliant teal robes, it was hard to tell she was a tomboy through and through, just like her mother. They left Azhara in Regina's capable hands and practically ran out of the door. Emma saw this from her spot in the living room and laughed.

"I feel like Az has pretty much ensured she's going to be an only child," Emma said.

Regina glared at Emma, but did not say anything as Azhara did not get it. Jasmine liked to describe her daughter as "a desert wind." It was a polite way of saying she was unpredictable and never stopped moving. Regina did not mind, as Azhara and Odette loved each other like sisters and championed for each other whenever they needed to. Odette squealed the second she saw Azhara and Ming rushed in for a hug. Eva tried to be part of the little group, but they towered over the little two-year-old and sort of overlooked her for a moment. Once they noticed her, she was let in as well.

Then, Ashley and Sean arrived with their two, dressed to the nines in formal attire, and Odette's little crew was complete. Tiffany, the couple's second daughter, was a few months older than Odette, but Odette really took to Alexandra, the eldest.

"Oh, you're wearing the cool suit from when you told the town off and was a hero," Alexandra said with a grin as she stood before Odette.

Odette blushed a little. "I dunno about hero." She looked away.

"You were a hero," Alexandra said with a firm nod. Odette giggled and Alexandra took her hand, leading her into the party room. Odette's face was completely red and she gazed at Alexandra with stars in her eyes.

 _I wonder what's going on here_. Regina glanced over at Emma, who shrugged as if she knew what Regina was thinking. She shook it off, not having time for this. The one school guest Odette had invited, Bryon Ursa, arrived with his parents. Regina thought this boy and his parents had nerve treating her child as an outcast when his mother, a princess, had once been rejected by her own fairy godmother and turned into a bear by an imp. But, she would show them a good time, let them glimpse her world and what her family had, and the Swan-Mills would never speak of them again while she knew they would talk of this experience for months to come. So, Regina began with the party.

-8-8-8-8-

"I swear, only Regina could make a freaking tea party an exclusive event that all the toddlers want to go to but only a few are invited," Emma said from her spot in the living room with the other parents. She was not surprised by the viciousness behind it, though. Only Regina would think to invite Odette's enemies into their home, treat them like royalty, and then make sure they never experienced it again.

"It's sweet. I love that it allows all of our children to bond and become friends," Snow said.

Ashley nodded. "Agreed."

"I'm glad our son was invited," the mother of the "honored guest" said.

Emma had no idea what her name was or who she was, but she made sure the woman and her husband had their best seats. She served them Regina's ridiculously expensive wine while the rest of them were drinking beers, cider, or iced tea, even though there was cheese to pair with the wine. The cheese was also ridiculous and expensive and apparently, nobles from the Old World went crazy for it. Emma was not sure why, as she was not into cheese like that. There was also weird bread for them, which was also a delicacy from the Enchanted Forest. Emma thought it tasted like dried wood, but apparently showed how well off she and Regina were and their guests would not be able to get the bread anywhere else in the world.

There were also leftover goodies that did not make it to the party, so Emma insisted they have some cake and slices of pie. It would melt in their mouths, delight their taste buds, and they would never know the taste again. David also ate cake by the handful. He was not very fond of the delicacy bread either. The guests had a couple of slices of bread before the conversation really kicked off.

"Yes, we tell him all the time to make sure he's nice to little Odette. Just because she's deaf doesn't mean she's different," the father said.

Emma was not surprised the man would lie right to her face like that. She and Regina always grilled Odette about the one outsider she wanted to invite to the party. Why was this person coming? Odette tended to invite people not because they were mean to her, but because she hoped it would get them to be nicer to her. This little boy was invited because she wanted to play blocks with him one day because he was "so good at building," her exact words. His response when she explained that she wanted to build with him was "girls can't build stuff, especially dumb girls who can't even hear if something's gonna fall on their heads," among other very nasty, mean-spirited comments. And, yeah, Emma might give these people some champagne with gold in it before they left, and remember it as the taste of her enemies' tears, because Odette's enemies were hers, too.

"We've been thinking about getting him into sign language," the mother said.

Emma nodded. "It's hard to find around here. We all go to a center outside of town." She also knew the mother was lying as Odette and Azhara often reported Bryon, as well as other children, made fun of Odette whenever she used sign language, despite the fact that some of them used it without even knowing.

"I'm surprised that Salaam child can go anywhere. Do you know how often Bryon has come in talking about how she pushed him and the teacher didn't do anything?" the father groused.

Emma fought down the urge to roll her eyes. Azhara pushed little Bryon often because he was reckless with his mouth when it came to Odette and for whatever reason Regina did not want to teach Odette to punch people in the face over words. Now, Azhara had yet to punch a person for Odette, but she sure did push with the best of them.

The mother sniffed. "I'm not surprised by her violence, though."

Well, that was a loaded comment. It could be a reference to her father's poor background, as Emma learned nobles and royals seemed to think being poor was genetic, as were any bad behaviors associated with being poor. It could be a reference to her being a foreigner as far as Enchanted Forest nobility was concerned. Or they could have adapted to good, old fashion American prejudice and that could have been a crack on Azhara's color or religion.

"It's funny. We never have that problem with her when she comes to visit with Tiffany," Sean said.

"Remember when she was trying to show Tiffany the proper way a princess should stand?" Ashley smiled. Everyone laughed, as they were all familiar with the story. Azhara, the wild child among their kids, was also the one with the best posture and etiquette. Emma considered taking lessons from her.

"Better still, remember when she had to show all the girls how to walk in a dress?" Snow said.

"The only one with more material on was Ming and Ming was also the only one who didn't fall on her face!" David laughed.

"I have taught Ming well," Mulan said, holding her chin up high.

"You don't even own a dress anymore," Emma pointed out. Mulan had gone full-on tomboy with her. Ruby had taken to referring to them as "dy-cons" for the town, which Emma did not think was true, but she could not dispute it considering their chosen wardrobes. But, then again, it might be that she and Mulan had not used any occasions to wear dresses. They might have to take their wives on good dates soon.

The guests were lost in the conversation for the most part, but Emma made sure they always had enough drinks and food. They drank the pricey wine like it was water, so Emma had to assume they were impressed by it and consumed almost all of the bread and cheese. They also had three pieces of cake before anyone else finished their first, not counting David. Emma would have to bring out coffee soon or the parents would be too drunk to leave. The stories were meant to show how close their families were, how close their kids were, and how amazing life was. It worked, as their guests hung on their every word, as was usually the case.

It was all well and good until they all heard Nathan make an announcement. "I know how babies are made!"

All eyes went to Emma, like they knew this was her fault. Emma winced. She was not sure what to do about it. Instead of jumping up, she took a calm breath.

"It's all right. He's just going to tell them about an egg and a spoon," Emma said.

David arched an eyebrow. "An egg and a spoon?"

Emma nodded. "We had a little crisis where Nathan asked about having a father, so I had to explain how a baby is made, but those people aren't necessary the baby's parents."

Marian's mouth fell open and she leaned over, touching Emma's arm. "Oh, my god, Emma, are you all right?"

Emma waved the question off. "Yeah, I'm fine. It all made sense to him. So, if he's telling it anything like I told it to him, he's telling everyone that an egg and a spoon make a baby. But, the people who take care of the baby are the baby's parents." She did not see how that could cause any problems.

Their guests eyed her, but the father dared to speak. "You lied to your child?"

Emma scoffed. "I didn't lie. I told the truth in the way he could understand without me having to give a PowerPoint presentation. That's his mom's area of expertise. I never lie to my children. We have what we call 'real talk' and I make sure they leave understanding any subject as best a five or a four year old can."

"With sock puppets," Mulan added with a chuckle.

"They're hand puppets. Okay, no, one set actually are sock puppets. Don't knock my effective way of parenting, Hua." Emma playfully shook her fist.

"It is scary in its effectiveness." Ashley nodded. "Those kids talk to you and Regina about everything."

"Alex has asked me on several occasions why we don't have 'real talks.' Did you have to name the thing, too?" Sean rolled his eyes.

Snow jumped in, her face scrunched up, causing a little wrinkle on her brow. "Why an egg and a spoon?"

"Well, my kids do well with visuals and I figured it'll help them better understand sex ed when they're older, too, since it's close to the biological truth. Anyway, it worked for him. It made him feel better and it wasn't a lie," Emma replied, giving the guests a little glare. While she wished they were not having this discussion in mixed company, none of this was a secret. Besides, she knew most parents would have freaked out needing to have that conversation with their small child. Emma was proud of herself for holding it together for her son.

"So, you told him Robin was, what, a spoon?" David asked.

"Not exactly. I told him Robin provided the spoon that made him. He took it as Robin being 'his spoon' and Regina was 'his egg.' So, he probably telling the other kids that." Emma hoped that soothed the parents, even though she now knew there was another conversation soon coming. Odette would want to know who her egg and spoon were. Emma was not sure how that would go.

"This doesn't sound easy to explain," Sean said.

Emma shook her head. "Well, I explained it better to him with props and sit down time and everything. Just rest assured he's not telling them about the birds and the bees."

"This sounds like it makes as much sense as that," David replied.

"Why didn't you tell him about the stork? That's what I told Neal," Snow said.

"Of course you did." Emma refused to tell an outright lie to her children. She had been lied to all throughout her childhood and then there was Henry's stance on lies. So, she and Regina did their best to be honest with the kids while keeping things on their level.

"I also told Bryon the story of the stork," the mother said, maybe to feel included. Emma checked her cup. When this was all said and done, she would have to go to the next phase of "the best day of your life."

Mulan leaned forward from the couch. "The stork?"

"The stork delivers babies," Snow replied.

Mulan's eyes went wide. "You tell your child such nonsense? Why would a bird deliver a baby?"

"It's not as crazy as it sounds. It happened every now and then in the Enchanted Forest," Marian replied.

"But, this is not the Enchanted Forest," Mulan said.

Emma waved the whole matter off. "It doesn't matter. You guys should just be prepared to hear about eggs and spoons. That might actually connect to your stork story."

Regina stepped into the living room with an amused sparkle in her eyes. "Odette is currently asking for an egg, so she can make a baby with her teaspoon. Alex wondered if the type of spoon matters, which led Roland to thinking a wooden spoon would probably make a much bigger baby than a teaspoon. And Neal suggested they could make a giant baby if they used a ladle. None of them are losing their minds about this concept, so you can all breathe easy." They could hear the children still spitballing. Did a ladle count as a spoon? What if it was a dessertspoon, how small would the baby be? What about a grapefruit spoon?

"They've taken this in a direction I never considered," Emma said.

"The stork doesn't seem so bad now, does it?" Snow had the nerve to look smug.

Nathan charged out. "Mama, we need your help. There are a lot of different spoons and eggs! How do you know which one makes a baby?"

Emma rubbed her eyes with her thumb and forefinger as she tried to think of a way out of this. "It's a special spoon and egg, Duck. If any spoon and egg made a baby, we'd have way too many babies. Your mom would make a baby every time she had to make an omelet."

Nathan put his hand to chin and nodded. "That's true. Okay." And with that, he was gone, probably to spread the news.

"This will be a fun talk when we get home," Marian said, shaking her head.

Emma's shoulders sagged. "I'm sorry. I was just trying to soothe Nathan. I didn't mean to make trouble for any of you."

Mulan waved it off. "It was bound to happen. Children are curious and there will be babies around them. They are going to ask. I am actually glad you have offered them a safe space to be curious and given us all something to work, even if it is an egg and a spoon." The other parents murmured and nodded.

Emma smiled. "Thanks."

The clamor about the eggs and the spoons died down as Regina returned to the tea party to start the movie for the children. Emma went about her adult responsibilities, moving onto serving Regina's gourmet coffee to their guests. They were paired with homemade donuts, but nothing the kind Emma wanted to eat. They were from the Enchanted Forest and had a strange taste to them as far as Emma was concerned, but everyone else from the Old World loved them, including Mulan, even though she was from a different country.

Emma did not get these things at all, but her parents did as did other nobles from the Enchanted Forest. There was also some weird spread they put on hard bread to have with more wine or even paired with the coffee. Sometimes, they put it on the cakes and the donuts, as well. It was just another thing Emma did not get, but again, nobles from the Enchanted Forest thought it was the best thing ever. While dining on those things, everyone made sure to discuss activities and places they planned to go with the children. Bryon was not invited, but his parents sat on the edge of their chairs, waiting for an invitation.

Emma knew she was being petty, but she liked seeing the disappointment in the guests' eyes as they realized no invites were forthcoming. She could not believe they honestly thought anyone in this family would invite them anyway. Not after the things Bryon said about Odette, some things he had to hear from them. How many four year olds used the word "deaf" when making fun of a girl who could hardly hear the verbal taunts? Whatever Odette did not hear, though, Azhara heard and reported back to Emma whenever she got a chance.

-8-8-8-8-

Regina did not do much during tea parties anymore. Odette had learned how to host from watching her. Alex was also a good hostess and Nathan had no problem with doing his part as well. So, Regina stood back and watched. She did not even step in when something happened as the children had learned to govern themselves, along with whatever outsider had joined them.

Bryon stared into his decorated porcelain cup. "Tea is for girls."

"Why would you say that? I love tea," Neal replied. He was a very big tea drinker. In fact, he liked sitting with Regina and drinking tea with her. He had favorite flavors and liked learning different ways to prepare tea.

"I like iced tea. It's good," Azhara said.

They had iced tea, sweet tea, and warm tea to choose from. Odette like to serve hot chocolate after the formal teas. They all had their own snacks as well. Ming was on her fourth yogurt goblet. Nathan was on his second piece of cake.

"And _Mary Poppins_ is for girls, too," Bryon said with a frown at the large television on the wall playing one of the children's favorite movies.

Nathan shrugged. "I like it."

Odette beamed. "I had Mommy put it on for you." She signed the statement as well.

"Why do you always do that with your hands? It's stupid," Bryon said. Regina flinched, but did not move.

"You're stupid," Azhara replied, glaring at the little boy.

"It's sign language. It's to help people understand if they can't hear. How is that stupid?" Alex inquired with a tilt of her head.

"Only broken people can't hear," Bryon said.

"Odette's not broken," Ming chimed in.

Nathan put his chin in the air. "Odette's a perfect princess." She smiled at her brother and he grinned back. "Mommy said so and I think she's right."

"Lots of people can't hear and sometimes you go some place that's loud and you can't hear. Sign language helps. Unless it's dark. It's hard seeing signs in the dark, but always good to see if you can't hear," Neal said.

"Ma-Mulan said sometimes when the situation is dangerous and you can't make a noise that sign language is best to talk to your friends to make things not dangerous anymore," Roland said. "Even my dad sometimes uses it when he hunts with his friends in the woods. They catch deer and stuff. You can't make noise when you hunt because you scare the animals, but you wanna be able to talk to your friends in case they know where an animal is."

"It's also good when we have sleepovers and we're supposed to be asleep," Tiffany said with a laugh.

Bryon seemed defeated for the moment and turned his attention back to his tea. Odette picked up the teapot with sweet tea. She smiled at him.

"Maybe you'd like this tea. It's different, but good," Odette said, as if he had not just tried to tear down everything she loved here.

It hurt to watch these things for Regina, knowing what kids would say to Odette. She could tell they did not completely fathom they were being mean, as they said them in front of her. But, it also made her heart swell to see all of Odette's friends come to her defense. They never hesitated.

"Have you had a fruit cup? They're my favorite." Roland eased a fruit cup in front of Bryon. "We only have them at Odette's tea party. She always makes sure Regina makes them because I like them best."

"And go-gurt!" Ming grinned. She could not say "yogurt," but she sure could eat it by the gallon. She liked to share it with Eva, so they could both get it everywhere. Eva somehow had it in her hair at the moment.

"My favorite are the sandwiches. I like that they're tiny," Alex said, holding up one of the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Azhara laughed. "Me, too. They're like doll sandwiches, but really good." They both wasted no time eating their finger sandwiches.

The kids sort of killed Bryon with kindness, which was their way, even Azhara. When she was with the group, she felt secure enough that she would just be nice until a person learned why Odette would always be loved, regardless of how the outside world treated her. So, whenever Bryon complained about something, they just jumped in to try to make his life easier.

"We should move onto the hot chocolate now," Alex suggested just as Regina turned off the pot in the corner containing her special ingredient.

Odette glanced at her mother, checking on the chocolate, and then nodded in agreement. "Yes, it's time."

"You have to try it with cinnamon," Neal said to Bryon. "Me, my sister, Henry, and Nathan like it that way."

"Cinnamon is the best," Nathan said.

"Marshmallows are the best," Roland replied.

"Yup!" Ming agreed.

Bryon did not see what the big deal was, but Regina knew the moment they had him. When he saw her hot chocolate was made with actual chocolate. He had a cup and his eyes lit up like he touched heaven. Good for him. It would never happen again. He drank two more cups, one with cinnamon and whipped cream, which was also homemade. The other with marshmallows, whipped cream, and chocolate sprinkles.

After a few hours, the tea party was over. Bryon left first with a goody bag full of gourmet candy, a handheld video game with no games (his parents would need to buy those), fancy sunglasses, a robot t-rex that made loud noises, a lego roller coaster set, a remote control Bentley of all things with a working horn, and a noise-making nerf blaster. Emma could already hear the noises in the house. It could not happen to a better set of parents as far as she was concerned.

Bryon and his parents tried very hard to make future plans with them as Emma and Regina ushered them out of the door. Bryon tried to leave with a cup of hot chocolate, but Regina plucked the mug from his grip. He glared at her at first and then looked like he might burst into tears.

"I wasn't finished," Bryon said.

"Yes, I understand, but the party is over and the chocolate was part of the party. It isn't going anywhere, nor is my porcelain cup," Regina replied.

"Perhaps I could get the bread recipe," Mrs. Ursa requested.

"I don't give out my recipes beyond my family," Regina replied. It was the truth. Everything that she served today, she had shared with the people she considered family.

Mrs. Ursa looked affronted by her answer. Regina did not care. All three of their guests wanted food to go and tried to make it happen, but that was not part of the deal. Regina wanted them to understand, they only got what they got through the Swan-Mills family's grace. Regina's family did not owe these people anything, even their table scraps. But, she hoped they remembered for a long time they had begged for scraps and had been denied. They had been denied by people they had the nerve to look down on for no good reason.

Once the guests were gone, they let the children play for a little longer, but when Aladdin and Jasmine returned, that was taken as a sign for everyone to leave. None of the other children left with noisy toys or things, only promises of play dates later on in the week. It was more than enough for them.

"Our children have a good group of friends," Regina said as she set about cleaning up from the tea party.

"Even if Roland likes to start trouble," Emma replied, looking in on Regina's movements.

"But, he does have Nathan's back, so I suppose he's worth the trouble." Regina turned and smiled at her wife. "Now, you need to go tend to the children before Nathan figures out how to rip that suit."

"He doesn't always rip his suit right after things if I don't get him out of it."

Regina scoffed. "Oh, really? I'm almost certain the only person who rips clothing faster is you." She realized what she said a moment too late.

Emma grinned. "Is that an invite?"

"Go tend to the children." Regina pointed out of the room. Emma winked, but vanished. Regina sighed, looking at the remains of the tea party. A smile settled on her face. She hoped this tradition lived on for years. It was soothing to know her children had their own group and it gave her strength. She never had this sort of support and love as a child, so it was beyond special to see her children with it, even if they had some outside obstacles to deal with. Still, she loved to see them with their friends.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: the end.


	3. Swan Egg

I don't own these characters; Disney/ABC does. Well, actually, I own Nathan and Odette. I also don't own _Horton Hatches an Egg_.

3: Swan Egg

At the end of the day when everyone left, Emma was in charge of getting the children fed and ready for bed while Regina cleaned up the tea party. Bodies were bathed, teeth were brushed, and favorite pajamas were on in a relatively short time. Emma had both kids in Nathan's bed, chosen bedtime story in her lap, when Regina appeared in the doorway.

"Look, Mommy's here to read with us," Emma said, delighting in the way the children's faces lit up. Hopeful eyes shot to Regina, who gave them a small smile in return.

Regina looked the bed over. "I'm not sure there's space for me, though. I suppose I'll just have to go to my own bed and miss out on all this love and a great story." She put the back of her hand to her forehead, really selling the melodrama. This happened at least once a week, but the children never seemed to catch on.

"Mama! We should go to your bed, so Mommy can fit and we can all read the story together!" Nathan clapped at his own idea. Odette cosigned it with a frantic nod, clutching Emma's arm for dear life.

Emma chuckled. "Well, I'd hate to leave Mommy out of any family activity, so I guess we'll have to move."

Regina took hold of the storybook while Emma grabbed both kids. They were not heavy, even with their combined weight. She tucked one under each arm, earning giggles from both of them as they leaned against her. Their little nails dug into her bare shoulders as they walked to the main bedroom. She made a mental note to trim their nails when they fell asleep.

Emma tossed the kids on the bed, earning more giggles and they quickly made their way to the center of the bed. Emma eased on her side and Nathan leaned against her. Regina settled into her side and Odette wrapped her arms around Regina's arm. Regina leaned down and kissed the top of Odette's head. She also leaned over to kiss the top of Nathan's head. He made a laughing noise and slapped his head, like he was rubbing the kiss away. Emma leaned down and kissed the same spot. He squealed and had the same reaction. They all laughed.

"All right, let's see what story you agreed on." Regina put the storybook between the two children. _Horton Hatches an Egg_ was their pick for the night.

Emma turned back to the story. Instead of classical fairy tales that they were all sick of, they read folklore from other cultures, mythology from other cultures, even cute history stories. Regina had found child-friendly versions of certain Shakespeare plays and things like that. And, best of all, were graphic novels. The children were partial to Doctor Seuss, which Emma thought made sense. What kid did not have a favorite Seuss story, after all?

Emma and Regina took turns reading. Every now and then, they let Nathan and Odette try on small words. Tonight, there were questions as well, though.

"So, is Horton the elephant-bird's egg or spoon?" Nathan asked.

"Mayzie is definitely the elephant-bird's egg. Horton is more the papa than anything else. He protected the egg until it hatched, but he didn't have the egg," Regina replied.

Nathan nodded, but his face was scrunched up. Emma wanted to jump in, but she held off. If Nathan needed more clarification, he would ask another question. He did not and the story continued on.

Nathan was out as soon as the words "one-hundred percent" were uttered for the last time. Odette was in full snuggle-bug mode, tucked against Regina, but still awake, green eyes focused on the closed book. Emma leaned over, running her fingers through Odette's hair.

"You want to go to your bed?" Emma asked. Every now and then, Odette liked to show she could take care of herself and sleep in her bed alone, like a big girl. Nathan had no such shame and would sleep in his mothers' bed without an invite whenever he felt like it.

Odette shook her head and twiddled her hands, possibly to keep from signing whatever was on her mind. "Mama, are you my egg?" She signed the question as well.

Emma smiled, even though she had some trouble with the sign language. _One of these days I have to get better with my signs_. She could make them, but it was hard for her to follow someone else's signs, especially Odette when she was anxious. "You want to talk about this now instead of going to sleep?"

"Yeah, real talk." The signs for "real talk" were very clear.

"Okay, we can have real talk." Emma glanced over at Regina, needing to make sure she did not pass out from having to have this conversation twice in roughly two days.

"Nathan said Mommy is his egg and you're Henry's egg. Lazy Mayzie was the elephant-bird's egg. Who's my egg?" Odette asked, her hands fidgeting instead of signing. Emma heard Regina sniffle and Regina put her arm around Odette, pulling her closer.

"Well, sweetie, first, is it really important for you to know who your egg is?" Emma caressed Odette's soft cheek.

Odette shrugged and glanced away for a moment. "I dunno. It's not fair Nathan and Henry know and I don't."

"No matter who your egg is, you have to know you have your Mama and Mommy, okay, sweetheart?" Regina said.

Odette looked between them, eyes wide and little creamy forehead wrinkled. "You don't know who my egg is?"

Emma shook her head. "I'm sorry, sweetie. We don't know who your egg or spoon is. Just like your mommy adopted Henry and I adopted Nathan, we adopted you."

"But, you're their eggs and not mine and you knew Nathan's spoon." Odette looked between her mothers.

Emma's heart sank a little. She wished they had better answers for Odette. "I'm sorry, princess. We don't know. But, it doesn't matter because you have parents and a family and we love you. I didn't have any of that when I was your age." All Emma wanted when she was Odette's age was a loving family. It did not matter who they were.

Odette gasped and her mouth stayed open for a long moment. "You didn't have your mommy? But, you have your mommy and your daddy now."

Emma gave a little nod. "Yeah, but I didn't get them until a few years ago. For a long time, I was on my own. I didn't have a mommy or daddy and I didn't know who my egg and spoon were either. I like to think I turned out okay."

"You're a really good mama." Odette reached over and patted her bicep with her tiny hand.

Emma could not help smiling. Odette did not know it, but those words filled Emma with such happiness if she was not careful, she would cry. If Emma did not do anything else with her life, she wanted to do right by her children. They were her world and they deserved the best of everything. She never wanted them to feel the way she felt as a child, unwanted and defective.

"Thank you. I'm sorry we don't know who your egg and spoon are," Emma replied.

"That's okay. I'm glad you're my mama and mommy. But, how'd you get me?" Odette asked, her brow furrowed again.

"Well, the same way we each got your brothers," Regina replied.

Odette's tiny brow furrowed. "But, you're Nathan's egg and Mama is Henry's egg."

"Yes, but Henry was not my egg. Mama couldn't take care of Henry at first, so I adopted Henry. You know that. Henry always tells you the story."

Odette's face scrunched up and it was clear in that moment she did not completely grasp what Henry had been telling her at the time. Nathan was probably same. It was fine. She was only four and Nathan was five. They would understand eventually.

Regina continued on. "Nathan isn't Mama's egg and Mama wanted to help me care for him, so she adopted him. That's how we became their Mommy and Mama together. We both cared about you and wanted our family be complete, so we adopted you, so we're your Mommy and Mama. You know from all your stories, everyone's family is different."

Odette cuddled even closer to Regina, practically disappearing into her side. She nodded. "I'm happy you did. I'm happy you're my family."

"We're happy we did, too. We're very happy you're our family. We love you, kiddo." Emma caressed Odette's head.

Odette yawned. "Love you, too. How come you don't know my egg or spoon, though? You know Nathan's spoon and Nathan said you told him that every baby has an egg and a spoon because that's what makes a baby. I was a baby."

Emma laughed while Regina smiled. Their little girl was too logical. Emma thought she picked that up from Regina. Yeah, Regina used to let her emotions get the better of her, but she was much better at thinking things through than Emma was in a normal situation.

"You were a baby, yes. But, you were a baby when we adopted you and didn't know who your egg and spoon were by then. If you really want to know, though, we can find out," Emma replied. She had looked when they first got Odette, but she had not looked very hard. It was not like she wanted to give Odette back to her birth parents after finding out they disregarded her because she was deaf. Not just disregarded, but abandoned her in a park, throwing her away like she was litter.

Odette stared down at the sheet for a long moment. "If you find them, could they take me from you? Like because I'm theirs?"

"You are not theirs. You are mine and your Mommy's daughter, okay? We're all a family and we're not going to let anyone ever take you from us, okay?" Emma replied.

Odette's eyes went back to the sheet, considering the words. Then, she shook her head. "No, I don't want you to find them."

"Baby, if you're scared they can take you away, you don't have to worry. We would never let them," Regina said.

Odette shook her head again. "No. I'm okay." She settled onto her pillow and closed her eyes, never letting go of Regina. Regina kissed the top of her head again.

"You think she's scared we could lose her?" Emma asked, unable to keep from caressing Odette's head. She also ran her fingers through Nathan's unruly mane. She wanted to let it grow wild, down his back. Regina would never stand for it, though.

Regina let loose a little scoff. "She's not the only one."

Emma's eyes went wide. "Babe, you know I'd never let anyone take her from us, especially not the people who dared to leave her in the freaking park. Hell, especially people who left her in a park because of her disability." She was a little insulted Regina considered she might let such a thing happen.

"Do you think they see her on the street? They see her in _Granny's_? They see her at Town Hall meetings with us? Do they know what a treasure they threw away?" Regina caressed Odette's hair.

Emma shook her head. "I like to imagine she fell out of the sky for us. She's like Thumbelina or something."

"I'm almost certain Thumbelina didn't fall out of the sky, nor did Odette. It's troubling to me that one day her parents might see her on the street and decide they can now handle her and want her back. I would like a child I don't need to fight the world for," Regina said.

Emma winced. "Sorry."

Regina sighed and reached over, taking Emma's hand. "Come now, my love. You know I don't mean you. Any time we have to deal with Robin is draining. Could you imagine him times two?"

Emma blew out a breath. "Just like with Robin, everyone knows who Odette's parents are. No judge would ever give her back to her birth parents. They left her in a damn park, Regina. If I hadn't been there, she'd have died. Who the hell would give a baby back to them?"

Honey brown eyes were haunted, trapped in the past and future. "What if one day, they encounter her, tell her who they are, and she's curious about them. They are her birth parents. Our children don't seem very interested in just allowing us to be their parents."

"That's only true with Henry and that was special circumstances. He was pissed we both lied to him, but he got over and we don't lie anymore. Nathan doesn't care about Robin. He just wanted to know why Roland was calling Robin his dad. Nathan doesn't want anything to do with Robin. Remember, he thinks he's creepy."

Regina rubbed her palms together. "How long will that last, though?"

Hearing Regina talk like that never failed to crush Emma. No mother should ever fear losing their child, but Regina carried that everyday and still managed to be a mother Emma used to dream of having. Emma was not sure how she might ever get rid of this fear, but she wanted to free Regina of it.

"Regina, you can't live life this way, waiting for the kids to forsake you at the drop of a hat. You'll become a nervous wreck," Emma said. "They love you. We love you."

Regina shook her head and Emma wished they were not sharing their bed right now. She reached over the kids and put her hand on Regina's bicep. She hoped the contact was enough for the moment. This might end up being a thing only time would heal.

"When did you start wondering about your birth parents?" Regina asked after long moments of silence.

"After about the third family sent me back to the group home. I was just sick of getting sent back. Our kids won't ever have to worry about that," Emma replied.

"Doesn't mean they won't eventually worry over their birth parents." Regina let loose a hollow laugh. "Funny. I spent years wishing I was adopted, wishing someone would come take me from my mother."

"You are _not_ your mother, babe. You're the exact opposite of your mother. The kids aren't ever going to sit around waiting for another set of parents to rescue them. Are there going to be times it'll be hard? Sure. We know that thanks to Henry's angsty teenage years and we know that from our own moody teen years. It'll happen, but they're not going to throw us all away, Regina. You can't keep thinking like that. Just like they're worth it, you're worth it. Our family is worth it." Emma truly believed that.

Regina took a breath, but did not say anything else. Emma was not sure how to get through to her spouse. She had faith in their family and their kids, but maybe it was because she did not live through "you're not my mom" like Regina did. But, also, they had no plans to hide adoptions from the children, even if by accident, which was what Regina did with Henry, in regards to being adopted anyway.

There was also the fact that Emma knew what it was like in the system, to be lost in the system. She knew what a treasure a family was, as did Regina. She did her best to help her children understand that and she felt like Regina did the same. She supposed she and Regina took it too different ways, though. She reveled in it while Regina feared it going away, as all good things did in their lives. _No, not this. Never this_.

-8-8-8-8-

Emma sat at work, scowling at the desk as she tried to think of someway to make Regina feel better about their children and the security of their family. Nothing came to mind and she just felt worse. That morning, Regina had woken up and made them all pancakes for breakfast with sausage and fruit. Then, there were the homemade lunches, which was what started Emma thinking about Regina all over again when she opened her lunch.

"You okay over there?" Mulan called from her desk, which was barely three feet away. She had her lunch in front of her.

"Mulan, do you ever worry that Roland is going to one day want to get away from you? Scream that you're not his real mother? Run away to be with Robin?" Emma asked.

Mulan put down her chopsticks and tilted her head. "You are scared Nathan is going to reject you?"

"Not really. That's my Duckling." Emma was fairly secure in her relationship with both of her adopted children. She did not worry that one day they would be screaming she was not their "real" mother. It probably would not even occur to her if it was not for Regina. She did not think in terms of "real" mother beyond what made some a real parent, raising a child.

Mulan's face scrunched up a little. "Then, what is the problem? I know you are not worried about Odette."

"I do think about her possibly wanting to find her birth parents one day. She wanted to know about them last night."

Mulan nodded. "Did you look for them?"

Emma scoffed and made a face. She wondered if she should feel guilty about what she was going to say. She did not see why. She was not the one who abandoned a baby in the park, after all. "I didn't look hard. I'm sure even with thirty-thousand people in town, I could find the couple who used to have a deaf baby girl and don't have her anymore. I don't want to do that. I don't care about them. They left a baby in a park because she couldn't hear, not knowing if someone would find her in time or not. They're monsters as far as I'm concerned and I don't want her around them. If she wants to seriously find them when she gets older, I'll work with her for it."

Mulan scratched her chin. "Then, what is your trouble?"

"Regina worries over the kids one day rejecting her for not being their 'real' mother. You don't worry about that with Roland?"

Mulan shook her head. "He is going through something right now, but it is not as bad as it was. A couple of months ago, he was on the verge of pushing me away completely, wanting nothing to do with me. He has had a hard time dealing with Ming, sharing us. I think he was upset Ming was biologically mine and Marian's than anything else. He assumed we loved her more, perhaps still worries over it. He did not reject me in the sense that I was not his 'real' parent, but more that he assumed Ming was my 'real' child and I loved her more than I did him. I have talked about it with him several times for him to know and understand that is not the case, but he has a long path ahead of him. I think he is on the right path, though."

Emma's brow furrowed. "What happened?"

"There was an incident over something and he yelled about how we loved Ming more than him and he just wanted to live with his dad. After that, he often screamed about how he wanted to stay with his father."

"What did you do?"

"At first we resisted, as you know, Robin is hardly equipped or ready to care for a child full time in this day and age."

Emma scoffed. "Does Robin even know what this day and age is?" He still walked around in his Enchanted Forest clothing when they spotted him in town and he did not have a woman on his arm.

Mulan shrugged. "I can hardly be sure what he thinks is going on. But, then Marian felt like we should actually let Roland live with his dad."

Emma winced. "Really?" That seemed like a dangerous approach. Marian fought long and hard to have primary custody of Roland. If Roland ended up preferring Robin's place, Marian could have lost all of that hard work.

Mulan let out a light laugh. "It was a brilliant idea, although a little diabolical. Roland learned to appreciate home much more after being with Robin for a week. He missed a week of school because Robin did not have the presence of mind to walk him to the bus stop. He tried one day to go on his own, but Robin decided to take him hunting since he was up so early. This was more upsetting for him because there was a trip he was looking forward to and he missed it. He had no problem with living on stew for the weekend, but he was not happy to have it all week, especially since he did not get a chance to cook with Marian like he usually does. He also does not like Robin's cooking, feeling like Robin does not use the right spices and he should know since he believes himself to be quite the accomplished cook. Before the week was done, he said he felt sick from that food. He missed a week's worth of tai chi and sword training with me, which he was upset over. Robin's cabin is also much colder than our home at night. He said he could deal with it over the weekend, but not so much every single day. He missed out on television shows we watch together and books he liked to read to Ming. He missed out on art projects he likes to do with Ming, puzzles and other things they do together. He learned to appreciate home and he learned he missed us."

Emma's face twisted up. "But, he's still all about Robin."

Mulan shook her head. "Not as much as you would think and it is fine. Robin is his father. He likes having a parent to himself, but he is not willing to live with Robin again. He understands I am his parent, even if we do not share blood, and he understand he loves Ming as much as we do."

"Yeah, well, Nathan isn't living with Robin if things come to that." Not that Emma felt like it would ever come to that.

"Why not just remind Regina she's a different person now?" David said as he came back to his desk. He was also having his lunch, but had stepped out to go wash his hands before he dug into his monster hero sandwich. He had about three feet worth of sandwich and she knew he would eat it all.

Emma gave her father a dirty look. "You think I haven't tried that?"

David waved off the expression. "Of course you're going to say that. You're her wife. Remind her from the rest of us. Point out she's evolved. If I can accept it, then she should be able to. She gave Henry up when she realized she didn't love him in the right way and he made his way back to her. She's changed to the point where we were all comfortable actually electing her mayor this go 'round. People want her to watch their children! Hell, I want her to watch mine!" David patted himself in the chest.

Emma snickered. "She does watch yours."

"The younger ones who think putting peanut butter on my pants is funny."

"I think that's funny."

David snorted as he threw his head back. "Why do I bother to try to help you?"

"I love that you think you help." Emma winked at her father.

"Anyway, let Regina know she's worrying over something she doesn't have to because she's not the same person she was. She's the person she was meant to be," David said.

Emma nodded. She liked that. Regina was the person she was meant to be. She hoped that worked because it was so much the truth. Regina had been interrupted when she had been forced to marry the King. Slowly, but she surely she got back on track after the Curse broke. Their children knew they had a good mommy. Regina had to see and accept that.

"This might also be a little bit of her missing Henry," David said.

"You think?" Emma asked. It made sense, even if Henry had been in college for a year now. Regina had fallen apart when they drove him down to Boston University, big, ugly tears and all. The separation anxiety sneaked up on her at the strangest times.

"I still remember the awkward moment she cried making sandwiches for the kids because it was Henry's favorite," David replied.

Emma winced. Okay, yeah, that was awkward and very true. So, this could be linked to Henry and Regina's insecurity at the same time. Emma had a good idea on what to do. If only for a temporary solution.

-8-8-8-8-

Regina could not wait to get out of her heels. For whatever reason, today seemed hard. Everyone had extra-fight in them, despite how stupid their arguments might be. Emma might have sensed it somehow, as she had volunteered to get both children, even though it was Regina's day. Regina had not been in the mood to deal with Odette's daycare. It was always something with them about Odette and they were supposed to be the best daycare in town.

"Welcome home, Mommy!" Odette trotted over, grinning at her.

"Hi, honey." Regina smiled and felt her tension drain from her body. "Wait, why are you already in your pajamas?"

Odette was dressed in her favorite footie pajamas with a hood, so she could be a pink unicorn. "Mama said we're having a pajama party! You have to get into your pajamas right now!"

"Well, I hope Mama gave you a bath first."

Odette nodded. "She did, but you'll brush my hair?"

Regina smiled. "You know I will." One of the ways she bonded with Odette was to do her hair. Emma was rather useless when it came to their daughter's hair, even though Odette had hair very similar to Emma's beyond color. Regina brushed, combed, and braided Odette's hair whenever she could. Nathan liked to get in on it and Regina would always do the same for him, much to Emma's dismay. Emma wanted their son's hair to be "wild and free."

"Okay. You should take a bath first. Mama is still picking movies and making food."

"Mama is cooking?" It was not unheard of, but not if they were having a pajama party. And, yes, this was not their first pajama party.

Odette nodded. "But, pajama food. And you have to be nice. Mama's working really hard!" She wagged her finger at Regina.

Regina chuckled. "I'm always nice to Mama." Okay, maybe she was a little sarcastic when Emma cooked, but she was never outright mean to Emma anymore and definitely not in front of their children.

"Okay. Mama said take a bath, so being nice is listening." Odette wagged her finger at Regina again.

Regina smiled. Emma often told the children "being nice is listening" to make sure they knew to listen. It was always good to know the kids listened. It was much like their strategy of telling the children to make "good moves," as if they were playing a game they wanted to win. They had to make good moves in life.

"Can I go give Mama and Nathan a hello hug?" Regina looked by Odette, wanting a glimpse of Emma and Nathan.

Odette shook her head. "Mama said bath first." She folded her arms across her chest and gave Regina a very familiar stern look.

"Well, I can't disobey such an adorable unicorn." Regina turned to the stairs.

"Mommy's taking a bath, Mama!" Odette pattered off while Regina disappeared upstairs.

Regina chuckled and went to shower. Part of her hoped Emma surprised her in there, but that was a dream. There was no way Emma would leave their two young children alone and even if she did, Regina would scold the hell out of her. So, Regina took a lonely shower and eased into her "pajamas." She put on black yoga pants and one of Emma's "property of Storybrooke's Sheriff Dept" shirts. Her family waited for her on the couch with a pile of sliders, chicken tenders, and fries on the coffee table.

"Come here, babe." Emma was in the middle of the sofa and pulled Regina down to her. Odette moved to throw herself against Regina's open side while Nathan was busy with an iPad. He squeezed in between Emma and Regina, even though there was almost no space. He had to be squished, but did not seem to care.

"Oh, Mom just sat down. Look!" Nathan turned the tablet to Regina, showing Henry.

"Hey, Mom!" Henry grinned and waved.

"Henry?" Regina was not expecting a call from him. Her heart fluttered in her chest and she felt lighter suddenly. She wanted to touch him and hold him, but seeing him was good.

"Nathan invited me to the pajama party. Well, Ma did, but we're giving Nathan credit for whatever reason," Henry said.

Nathan turned the iPad back to him. "Because it was my idea!" He puffed out his chest. "I called you and everything!"

"How was the pajama party your idea?" Emma asked.

"Because you said we should watch a movie, but I said we should wear our PJs, like a sleepover. So, my idea. And, I called Henry. Me," Nathan replied, poking himself in the chest. "So, our whole family is here and it was my idea."

"Sounds like he's got you, Ma. Story of your life, thwarted by your own child," Henry said. "Turn me back to Mom, Nathan." Nathan did as requested. "So, yeah, I'm here for the pajama party. I'm in my PJs, too!" He tilted his phone, so she could see he was in his pajamas, which consisted of ratty basketball shorts and a rattier t-shirt. She just hoped they were clean.

"What is this about a pajama party?" Regina looked around at her family, everyone in their most comfy, favorite pajamas. "What's going on?"

"It's family night. We've going to watch the Muppets, eat junk, and cuddle on the couch with all of our favorite people," Emma replied.

"I'm here for a couple of movies, but then I've got studying to do," Henry announced.

Regina did not argue with any of this. Emma started the movie, _Muppets Most Wanted_ , and wrapped an arm around Regina and Nathan. Odette laid in Regina's lap, arms draped on Emma. Emma and Henry commented throughout the movie, as they tended to do. Nathan made sure everyone always had a slider or a chicken finger in their hands. Odette mouthed the dialogue, knowing the movie by heart.

By the second movie, _Muppet's Treasure Island_ , Odette pressed a brush into Regina's hand and she brushed Odette's hair. After a through brushing, Regina gave Odette a french braid. Eventually, Nathan crawled over, wanting his hair brushed as well. He was also given a french braid, which got a laugh out of everyone. His would not last as long as Odette's due to his curls wanting to be free, but it was fine. Henry had to go before the ending, as his paper would not write itself. Once the movie was done, the children brushed their teeth and went to bed without a story since they had watched the movies.

"Thank you for tonight," Regina said as she and Emma snuggled on the couch. Emma scrolled through their Netflix list for something to watch. Regina felt settled inside for the first time in what felt like forever.

Emma pulled her close and nuzzled the top of her head. "I wanted you to see how much we all like being together and want to be together. Not to mention, Henry was willing to sit through a Muppets movie over a FaceTime call to spend time with us. Surely that means something. While we might not be all of their eggs, they're definitely ours."

Regina smiled. She appreciated the effort, but she could not tell Emma it would take more than one family night to keep her from worrying over the children one day disowning her. But, maybe more days like this would build her up. Henry was willing to sit through the Muppets over FaceTime and younger pair cuddled into her like she was the safest place on Earth. They had not rejected her upon finding out about their adoptions like Henry had, so maybe that was a good sign.

"I know how you feel, though," Emma said.

Regina blinked and wondered if she accidentally voiced her thought. "What do you mean?"

"You know I never had a family. There are days I'm waiting for all this to fall apart, too. Days I wonder what the hell you're doing with me. Days I think the kids will realize I don't know what the hell I'm doing. Days when I think I'll fuck this up, as I've done in the past," Emma replied.

"You wouldn't. You haven't," Regina said.

"I'm just saying I get scared, too. I want you to not be scared. We're here. If you get scared, we can talk because I get scared."

Regina smiled. "We can be scared together?"

"I know it sounds stupid, but we both know it works. And I should've told you this a while ago, but you should've told me, too." Emma kissed Regina.

"Yes, we should've told each other. We have to talk. We know that." Regina nodded. She hated that knowing Emma got scared helped her. "We can pick each other up."

"That's what we do." Emma rubbed her shoulder. "It'll be all right. We've got this."

Regina nodded and curled into close to her wife. She could believe that, or try to believe it. She knew it was true.

"You're right. They are our eggs," Regina said.

Emma laughed. "Yes, they are. And, I know how much it scares you that one day they'll say something, but I can tell you this, all I ever wanted was a family at their age. They might take us for granted some times, but that just means we've done a good enough job that they can do that. We're a family. They'll get that. Henry gets it. They'll get it."

This was also true. Regina nodded. "When did you get so smart?"

Emma chuckled even more. "Must be from all the health food you keep forcing me to eat. It's jump-starting my brain." Regina gave her a kiss. Yes, they were a family. There would be ups and downs, as there had been, but they were in this together. They were all in this together, even if there were unanswered spoons and eggs floating about. They would deal with that if and when it was necessary.

-8-8-8-8-

The end.

Thanks for reading my story. I hope you enjoyed it. I'm going back to my padded cell, but I'll be back. If you like my work, please go check out my books on Amazon under the name S. L. Kassidy. Come say hi to me on Facebook; there's a link on my profile.


End file.
